For the millions moved by Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, here at last is Miep's own astonishing story. For more than two years, Miep Gies and her husband helped hide the Franks from the Nazis. Like thousands of unsung heroes of

She found the diary and brought the world a message of love and hope.

It seems as if we are never far from Miep's thoughts....Yours, Anne

For the millions moved by Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, here at last is Miep's own astonishing story. For more than two years, Miep Gies and her husband helped hide the Franks from the Nazis. Like thousands of unsung heroes of the Holocaust, they risked their lives each day to bring food, news, and emotional support to the victims.

From her own remarkable childhood as a World War I refugee to the moment she places a small, red-orange, checkered diary -- Anne's legacy -- in Otto Frank's hands, Miep Gies remembers her days with simple honesty and shattering clarity. Each page rings with courage and heartbreaking beauty.

If a person has heard Miep Gies speak, this book is extactly like her speech. She may have a co-author, but her voice comes though loud and clear.

Like the documentry about Anne Frank, this book does much in dispelling some of the myths that surrond the Frank family and thier assoicates. In many ways, Otto and Anne Frank still dominant the book. In part, this is because Gies had a closer relationship to Mr. Frank, and in part because of the popularity of Anne Frank's diary. Gies, however, bringsIf a person has heard Miep Gies speak, this book is extactly like her speech. She may have a co-author, but her voice comes though loud and clear.

Like the documentry about Anne Frank, this book does much in dispelling some of the myths that surrond the Frank family and thier assoicates. In many ways, Otto and Anne Frank still dominant the book. In part, this is because Gies had a closer relationship to Mr. Frank, and in part because of the popularity of Anne Frank's diary. Gies, however, brings a different prespective to several of the attic residents. The Van Danns become more just Anne's fighting couple and are shown to be as intelligent and as generous as the Franks. Gies points out that Anne's diary was lucky enough to surive, while Margot's was not. She shows that Edith Frank was willing, encouraged, her husband and children to escape to America, even if it meant living her behind.

Gies expresses regret over how some of the residents, in particular Dussel, where protrayed in various film versions.

Additionally, Gies presents a good look at Amsterdam and the Netherlands during the war. From the mention of Rotterdam's destruction at the bombs of the Germans to Radio Orange to the struggle to find food, Gies paints a picture of life without getting bogged down in details. Even today, one can still see the Dutch anger at the Germans as evidenced by the party Rotterdam threw when Amsterdam's Ajax beat a German team for the Champions League crown.

The reader is also given examples of the fates other Jewish residents, some who managed to go into hiding, some who did not. Gies and her husband, Jan (Henk), were far more heroic than any read of the diary knows.

There is no hubris in the story, and one has to wonder if Gies wrote because of her desire to set the record straight and to prove to all the slanderers that the diary recorded real life. The epilogue is one of the few places were she really sounds angry about those people.

Recently, historians have pointed out that stories such Gies' makes it sound as if the Dutch were far more subversive and saved more Jews than they actually did. Gies doesn't claim to speak for her country. In fact, she makes it quite clear that there was a large amount of betrayal going on, especially when food became hard to get. She mentions problems about what to do when someone in hiding dies.

While she never states the fact that she didn't have a child during the war, one wonders if the childless statue of Gies and her husband made it easier for them to risk helping people. She never says, but the question hangs in the shadows of some passages.

This isn't to miminalize her bravery or the bravery of the other helpers who did so much because it was the right thing to do. It simply, like the book, makes us consider the wider picture....more

“I am not a hero. I stand at the end of the long, long line of good Dutch people who did what I did or more—much more—during those dark and terrible times years ago, but always like yesterday in the hearts of those of us who bear witness. Never a day goes by that I do not think of what happened then.

More than twenty thousand Dutch people helped to hide Jews and others in need of hiding during those years. I willingly did what I could to help. My husband did as well. It was not enough.” (from th“I am not a hero. I stand at the end of the long, long line of good Dutch people who did what I did or more—much more—during those dark and terrible times years ago, but always like yesterday in the hearts of those of us who bear witness. Never a day goes by that I do not think of what happened then.

More than twenty thousand Dutch people helped to hide Jews and others in need of hiding during those years. I willingly did what I could to help. My husband did as well. It was not enough.” (from the prologue.)

This is not a new book, but one of those to which I return. I even like holding it in my hands and just looking at the name of the woman whose journey it reveals: Miep Gies.

Miep is the woman who, with her husband Jan Gies, helped hide Anne Frank from the Nazis. Like so many young Jewish girls growing up I was more than a little obsessed with stories from the Holocaust; especially The Diary of Anne Frank. At the time she wrote in her diary, she was probably only a bit older than I was at the time I read the book, so, of course, I walked in her shoes. It certainly didn’t seem long enough ago to not think about her as me, and me as her.

Was there a Jewish child growing up anywhere in the world who didn’t think what if? Some, I imagine, averted their thoughts from the events of WWII and pretended it was all as far away as the Roman Empire. Others, went through life compulsively reading about it, breathing the lives of those who’d lived through it and those who had lost their lives.

On top of the obvious victims, were the other victims—those who were forced to witness the atrocity, those who participated. After visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, and I paraphrase here, what my husband and I remembered most deeply, were the audio-taped words of a survivor. In speaking about his experience in a concentration camp, he related a story of being berated by a fellow internee for praying.

“Why are you thanking God?” he was asked.

“I am thanking him for not making me him,” the man said, pointing to a guard.

It is horror without relief to have been a slave, a concentration camp internee, and a victim in Darfur. It is another horror, to have been the victimizer.

Books like this, they always make me wonder, given the circumstances, on which side would I end up? We read the books, we watch the movies, and we assume we’d have the courage of the righteous, but I believe it bears remembering how brave people like Miep Gies had to be, and to remember all the Miep and Jams out there today. I pray that given the circumstances, we’d follow their path....more

Kelly H. (Maybedog)I'm glad something is written about the brave people who helped the Franks but why isn't her name part of the title?
Jun 10, 2012 05:10AM

Jeanette "Astute Crabbist"Good question! I hadn't thought of that. Having read the book, my guess would be that Miep wouldn't have wanted her name in the title. She wanted AnneGood question! I hadn't thought of that. Having read the book, my guess would be that Miep wouldn't have wanted her name in the title. She wanted Anne and her family to have the spotlight....more
Jun 10, 2012 10:30AM

Jeanette "Astute Crabbist"It's an amazing story, Chelsea. Just be sure to get the most recent edition with the Afterword Miep wrote as she approached her 100th birthday.
Jun 10, 2012 01:50PM

This is one of those books that both breaks your heart and uplifts you at the same time. Miep Gies does not see herself and her husband as "heroes" but they most certainly are. They are the couple who helped hide Otto Franks' family in Holland during World War 2. His daughter Anne did not survive the Nazi concentration camp but her diary, her thoughts, her words, and her heart will live forever. It was through the actions of Miep Gies who first hid the Franks and then rescued and saved Anne's diThis is one of those books that both breaks your heart and uplifts you at the same time. Miep Gies does not see herself and her husband as "heroes" but they most certainly are. They are the couple who helped hide Otto Franks' family in Holland during World War 2. His daughter Anne did not survive the Nazi concentration camp but her diary, her thoughts, her words, and her heart will live forever. It was through the actions of Miep Gies who first hid the Franks and then rescued and saved Anne's diary and later gave it to her father Otto that we know Anne's deepest, more heartfelt thoughts. This book documents the story of Anne from just before she went into hiding until her death and even beyond when Otto Frank returned to live with Miep and her husband and received the now-famous diary. I could feel my heart pounding with fear as Miep took me back to those dangerous times and she herself was almost arrested and possibly executed for harboring Jews. Please read this book. It is something that will remind you that some people on this planet are not selfish. There are compassionate people who will risk their lives for others and to do the right thing. They are not about profit and selfishness but about love for others and truly live out their love. Miep Gies is one of those people. ...more

Simply fascinating, as I knew it would be.Tears in my eyes as I read that Peter van Daan survived "The Auschwitz Death March"(as did Elie Wiesel who documented that nightmare experience in the book "Night"),only to die in Mauthausen on the same day that the camp was liberated by the Americans.

This is a book I discovered as a teenager and which soon became one of my all time favourites. Enthralled like so many others by Anne Frank’s diary, I was even more fascinated by Miep Gies’s account. So when the French television aired a new film version of the Diary a few weeks ago I hurriedly ordered a copy of Anne Frank Remembered on Amazon and dug into it as soon as it arrived.

Unfortunately I was at first disappointed as I found it difficult to get into. Having just finished The Kite Runner,This is a book I discovered as a teenager and which soon became one of my all time favourites. Enthralled like so many others by Anne Frank’s diary, I was even more fascinated by Miep Gies’s account. So when the French television aired a new film version of the Diary a few weeks ago I hurriedly ordered a copy of Anne Frank Remembered on Amazon and dug into it as soon as it arrived.

Unfortunately I was at first disappointed as I found it difficult to get into. Having just finished The Kite Runner, a highly compelling read with which it is difficult to compete, was certainly partly to blame. But mostly I was surprised by the style of Miep’s account which I hadn’t remembered well. Having written it (shadow written with Alison Leslie Gold actually) as an old woman, she obviously didn’t remember everything. But she did have many very detailed memories of incidents and episodes. As a result, some parts of her book are more like a collection of memories than a continuous account. A paragraph might get into a very detailed description of an apparently insignificant incident and the next jump to another subject, leaving the reader to wonder were she is going.

At first therefore I struggled to remember what had kept me so enthralled as a young girl. But then, as the book progressed and I got more and more absorbed into it, I found that all these recollections connected to paint a most vivid and sharp image of those times: the fear, tragedies and losses; the small miracles; the every day acts of bravery of those who fought against the Nazis with their meagre mean; the short moments of joyous reprieve when a cup of real coffee, or a whole tray of strawberries, was found; the moments of despair and those of hope… Mostly, it shows the absurdity of those times when “thieves were safe but Jews were not” : how far the hatred went, how much the people changed, how deep everyone fell… and how despite all this life went on, those who had a job continued to go to work everyday and the Frank business ran all through the war.

In her diary Anne paints a unique picture of what it was like to grow up as a hidden Jewish young girl. Miep shows the rest. Once a refugee in the Netherlands, where she was sent by her Austrian family after WW1 (to be fed and safe), she witnessed how her adoptive country first became a safe haven for German Jews when Hitler came to power, before falling as well into his hands. And she tells us of the Frank’s journey from their arrival in Amsterdam in 1933 to Otto’s life after the war.

All in all, I find it to be an amazing read and a great companion to Anne’s diary and would highly recommend it!...more

In the flurry of anniversaries of World War II one stands out, the 50th anniversary of the passing of Anne Frank, who died of typhus and hunger in Bergen Belsen, around March 1, 1945. The anniversary was marked by a special performance in Washington of "The Diary of Anne Frank", and Miep Gies came to attend, a stocky gray-haired Dutch lady of 86. Miep Gies was the one who helped sustain the Franks in their hiding place, and who later, after the Germans found out about the "Secret Annex" and rai In the flurry of anniversaries of World War II one stands out, the 50th anniversary of the passing of Anne Frank, who died of typhus and hunger in Bergen Belsen, around March 1, 1945. The anniversary was marked by a special performance in Washington of "The Diary of Anne Frank", and Miep Gies came to attend, a stocky gray-haired Dutch lady of 86. Miep Gies was the one who helped sustain the Franks in their hiding place, and who later, after the Germans found out about the "Secret Annex" and raided it, scooped up Anne's diary and notes, to save them for posterity. This is her story.

And some story it is. Of the many nations occupied by the Nazis, the Dutch earned an unequalled reputation for integrity, decency and heroism, and Miep's tale goes a long way towards explaining how and why it happened. It is much more than a spin-off of the diary of Anne Frank, though it does clarify some facets of Anne's story, too. Rather, it is the personal account of a decent young woman, caught up in a hateful occupation and determined to resist it.

It is story of kindness in the face of cruel oppression. Kindness was what brought Miep to Holland in the first place, the 10-year old daughter of a poor Vienna family, taken in as a foster child by a kind Dutch family during the hunger years that followed WW I. Raised in Holland, she was again treated kindly by Otto Frank, a refugee businessman who successfully rebuilt his business in Holland. But when the Nazis arrived, life turned grim--Jews were deported, Jews and also some Christians were driven into hiding, and food became increasingly scarce, until in the end even the Dutch were starving.

Miep's spirit prevailed through it all. This is a simply written book, clear and unencumbered, and it deserves to be remembered as long as Anne Frank's is. There was only one Anne Frank, yet we should never forget more than twenty thousand brave Dutch men and women, who risked their lives (and sometimes lost them) trying to hide Jews. Miep Gies speaks for them all.

Postscript

The diary of Anne Frank touches anyone reading it. It is a story most young people should know--but if exposed to it too early, it may well frighten them more than anything else. When should they be told? All depends on the child's personality and maturity, and no answer fits all cases. However, recently (2009) I found a short illustrated book about Anne Frank, aimed specifically at young readers, and it may be best if they read it first. The book, which first appeared in 2004, is "Anne Frank--a photographic story of a life" by Kem Knapp Sawyer, 127 pp., published by DK books, New York. It is indeed "the story of a life," and covers much more than the diary--telling about Anne's family and its life before going into hiding, clarifying what went on in "the secret annex," as well as what happened after the family was arrested. Grown-up readers not familiar with some of that may find this an interesting and touching story, too.

I recently reread, "The Diary of Anne Frank" and while it is a very moving and wonderful journal it left me with so many questions about how the hiding place really worked out for so many months. The answer is Miep Gies. Now she was an amazing woman. Vienna born and Dutch by marriage she was a good friend to the Frank family and worked in Otto Frank's pectin store front for many years before they went into hiding. She shopped and came for visits and offered comfort and support to the people in tI recently reread, "The Diary of Anne Frank" and while it is a very moving and wonderful journal it left me with so many questions about how the hiding place really worked out for so many months. The answer is Miep Gies. Now she was an amazing woman. Vienna born and Dutch by marriage she was a good friend to the Frank family and worked in Otto Frank's pectin store front for many years before they went into hiding. She shopped and came for visits and offered comfort and support to the people in the annex daily. Some days she would have to shop for hours before she found enough food with all the shortages and rationing to feed the group. Her husband Henk was a member of the resistance party and they had a Jew hiding in their own apartment rooms too. I was just amazed at how devoted she (and the few other office workers who knew) was to those in her care. The business was changed into one of the office workers names so that it could continue to flourish even during the war. Mr. Frank would still make plans and decisions from the annex and Anne and Margot would come down at night and do office work for Miep and Elli (and office girl). Miep talks about the day the whole group was arrested and how she and Henk even twenty plus years later still observed a day of silence in memory of their friends. Miep went to Nazi headquarters and met with the highest ranked Nazi available and asked to buy the Franks back with no luck right after they were arrested. When Mr. Frank was released he lived with Miep, Henk, and their son Paul for eight years before he moved and remarried. During this time he was distributing Anne's diary which Miep had illegally recovered from the annex the day they were arrested. She kept all the pages in an unlocked drawer in her office desk and never looked at them. She safely returned them to Mr. Frank the day he was sent word that Anne and Margot had died in the prison camp. Such an inspiring woman and book....more

I appreciate that it was written by the heroine who sheltered Anne and her family and other people during the war.

This POV provided a window into Anne's personality, as well as specific details that weren't included within Anne's diary...

Additionally, the story provide a view on the war itself on how folks of Holland (in generalI read The Diary of a Young Girl as a child and I loved the book and was horrified at the events that occurred ....

I found Anne Frank Remembered to be a haunting book...

I appreciate that it was written by the heroine who sheltered Anne and her family and other people during the war.

This POV provided a window into Anne's personality, as well as specific details that weren't included within Anne's diary...

Additionally, the story provide a view on the war itself on how folks of Holland (in general) suffered and the danger involved in being brave enough to assist these families.

I decided to read Anne Frank as an independent reading book. This book is basically about a girl named Anne and she has to go into hiding with her family. She is struggling to survive. Soo if you want to find out more you should read this book. She has an external conflict with the Nazi's because she is hiding from them and is sort of fighting against them because by them hiding they aren't succeeding in catching all the people. I have an text-to-self connection. I had a relative that probably I decided to read Anne Frank as an independent reading book. This book is basically about a girl named Anne and she has to go into hiding with her family. She is struggling to survive. Soo if you want to find out more you should read this book. She has an external conflict with the Nazi's because she is hiding from them and is sort of fighting against them because by them hiding they aren't succeeding in catching all the people. I have an text-to-self connection. I had a relative that probably got captured in the war. That relative was russian and he got captured in Russia. It was pretty sad. I found out recently and my aunt found it out because the relative didn't send any more letter during the war. So after the war she still didn't get any letters so probably that person died in the war. I give this book ***** stars. I gave this book 5 stars because it really showed depth. It told her feelings and the details.It is a shame that these people died. So it really explained how this war was. I suggest this book to people who are interested in the Holocaust....more

Audiobook. Enjoyed this very much. Excellent narrator. Anne Frank's familiar story told from the rescuer's viewpoint. I found most interesting the lives of the Dutch during the Nazi occupation, as I already knew the story of the Franks. This didn't add much to that knowledge, other than Meip's impressions of the family. She's mortified, for example, that the dentist is depicted in the play and movies as a difficult character. She insists he wasn't anything like those characterizations. She defenAudiobook. Enjoyed this very much. Excellent narrator. Anne Frank's familiar story told from the rescuer's viewpoint. I found most interesting the lives of the Dutch during the Nazi occupation, as I already knew the story of the Franks. This didn't add much to that knowledge, other than Meip's impressions of the family. She's mortified, for example, that the dentist is depicted in the play and movies as a difficult character. She insists he wasn't anything like those characterizations. She defends the family from criticism at every turn. Of course, she downplays her own courage in sheltering not only the Franks, but several others in hiding as well. She and her husband even hid a boy avoiding deportation for labor in Germany in their own home for awhile, and they sheltered other Jews as well. After her husband's death, she learned that he had been heavily involved in the Resistance, and probably saved many more people, both Jewish and Dutch.

There is a documentary film by the same name that interviews Meip herself, and others. I'd love to see that. All in all, very interesting, an excellent audiobook, highly recommended for those interested in the subject....more

Absolutely riveting autobiographical account of Miep Gies, the woman who (along with her husband, Jann) kept Anne Frank and her family in her attic during WWII in Amsterdam. From start to finish, this is very absorbing.

You'll also learn about Gies' life before the Franks came to her. This really helps to establish the setting of the story we're all familiar with in the attic. It's a great and moving narrative on its own, yet it also works to bring greater richness and atmosphere to Anne's diary.Absolutely riveting autobiographical account of Miep Gies, the woman who (along with her husband, Jann) kept Anne Frank and her family in her attic during WWII in Amsterdam. From start to finish, this is very absorbing.

You'll also learn about Gies' life before the Franks came to her. This really helps to establish the setting of the story we're all familiar with in the attic. It's a great and moving narrative on its own, yet it also works to bring greater richness and atmosphere to Anne's diary. Reading both this and her diary together would be ideal as each account feeds into each other very effectively.

It's amazing that we're able to see the other side of Anne's diary told in this way. This book is a rare occasion to witness true bravery and compassion to highlight an already well-known series of events known for their humanity.

If you haven't read Anne's diary, read it before this one. It's absolutely recommended, as much as the original diary is....more

This book tells the story of the incredibly courageous and kind-hearted Miep Gies, one of the people responsible for hiding Anne Frank and her family and the woman who saved Anne's precious diary. I am not a cryer. I've been able to make it through many different holocaust novels dry-eyed but this story was so heartfelt that the sheer emotion of it had me wiping my eyes and trying to pull myself together (On a related note, listening to the audiobook at work is a REALLY bad idea). Miep and her fThis book tells the story of the incredibly courageous and kind-hearted Miep Gies, one of the people responsible for hiding Anne Frank and her family and the woman who saved Anne's precious diary. I am not a cryer. I've been able to make it through many different holocaust novels dry-eyed but this story was so heartfelt that the sheer emotion of it had me wiping my eyes and trying to pull myself together (On a related note, listening to the audiobook at work is a REALLY bad idea). Miep and her friends were so brave and giving that they were willing to hide not only her friends but strangers as well. I get the impression that Miep finally wrote her own version of the events not for fame or recognition but to set the record straight. Her account is less biased than Anne's diary (not a criticism of Anne Frank's diary, just an observation) so it presents a fuller picture of the Franks and their fellow Jews in hiding. I thought that I would be immune to some of the sadness of this book having read the diary of Anne Frank earlier this year, but I was wrong. You really are able to learn more about the lives of the people involved which ultimately makes their loss more poignant and heartbreaking. You can feel how much Miep and her colleagues cared about the people involved. Like many other holocaust novels, this reinforces that even in the darkest periods of history when all seems lost there are still good people in the world determined to do the right thing. ...more

I listened to a Playaway version of Miep Gies' book Anne Frank Remembered. It was a powerful memoir of Miep's life before, during and after her association with the Frank family. Students generally hear the name Miep Gies if they study Anne Frank but it is usually just a mention of her name. The chapter's of this book are written in such a way that a class can read a chapter here and there to get a slice of the life Miep lived. This was the first book I have listened to using a Playawy and I wasI listened to a Playaway version of Miep Gies' book Anne Frank Remembered. It was a powerful memoir of Miep's life before, during and after her association with the Frank family. Students generally hear the name Miep Gies if they study Anne Frank but it is usually just a mention of her name. The chapter's of this book are written in such a way that a class can read a chapter here and there to get a slice of the life Miep lived. This was the first book I have listened to using a Playawy and I was delighted by how much I actually liked it. Being an anti-audiobook person, the convenience of the Playaway fit in with my lifestyle just as my ipod does. I was able to listen to Miep's book while I worked on school work, cleaned the house, and took a walk. Barbara Rosenblat, the "Meryl Streep of Audiobooks," reads Miep's words clearly and with real emotion. I would recommend both the book and the Playaway version for use in a middle school or high school language arts or social studies classroom....more

I am not sure if it is merely the content that brought this book up to a 5 - that alone would do it for me - but the reader on my audiobook was phenomenal as well. Her voice, and the words drew me back many years to a horrible time. I recalled reading Anne Frank:The Diary of a Young Girl many times as I grew up. It was amazing to hear what happened on the other side of the bookcase. Every time Miep went up to visit her friends I recalled entering that space myself and climbing those steep stairsI am not sure if it is merely the content that brought this book up to a 5 - that alone would do it for me - but the reader on my audiobook was phenomenal as well. Her voice, and the words drew me back many years to a horrible time. I recalled reading Anne Frank:The Diary of a Young Girl many times as I grew up. It was amazing to hear what happened on the other side of the bookcase. Every time Miep went up to visit her friends I recalled entering that space myself and climbing those steep stairs to see where everything took place - perhaps my recollection of visiting the Annex added to the enjoyment of the story. It was interesting to hear what the Miep thought of her "friends", after hearing what Anne had thought of Miep. An amazing story of a truly incredible group of people. who without ever looking twice, risked their lives to save those of people they cared for. Miep suggested that there were many, many more people like her and Hank throughout Holland -- what a heritage to be proud of!Miep's honesty and openness, and obvious trust of the co-author, made the story memorable, easy to read and a pure delight. This is one book I am truly glad I listened to instead of reading - it was nice to have this told to me. I must admit I rewound a few times when I was surprised and the risks Miep and Hank undertook. Made me very thankful that I am alive today - and I certainly pray that history will NEVER repeat itself in this vein again!...more

This book meant a lot to me on many levels. It expanded the original Anne Frank diary story by explaining how the family came to Amsterdam, why they went into hiding, how they were helped and what those helpers faced on the outside. It also gave an amazing account of what the Dutch people experienced before, during and after the NAZI occupation. The personal story of Miep Gies was also incredible. I never knew she came from Austria as a little girl and that her native language was German ... howThis book meant a lot to me on many levels. It expanded the original Anne Frank diary story by explaining how the family came to Amsterdam, why they went into hiding, how they were helped and what those helpers faced on the outside. It also gave an amazing account of what the Dutch people experienced before, during and after the NAZI occupation. The personal story of Miep Gies was also incredible. I never knew she came from Austria as a little girl and that her native language was German ... how her Vienna roots saved her and ultimately saved the diary of Anne Frank. Also, this story was very personal to me, as our family lived in and near Amsterdam for a while. We also had to learn the language, put our children in the Dutch schools, then eventually, figure out and learn love the powerful Dutch culture, based on tolerance and respect for everyone. And to have a daughter living in Amsterdam, bicycling down these same streets while I read the book was strange but incredible....more

The story as told by Miep Gies adds context and understanding to The Diary Anne Frank. I found it very satisfying to hear of Miep's fondness for Anne and her entire family including the fact that Otto Frank came to live with Miep and her husband after the was. As I read the diary years ago, I wondered what was happening among their friends as they helped and felt deep concern for the eight persons in the attic. Miep tells not only that but also the experience she and her husband in the undergrouThe story as told by Miep Gies adds context and understanding to The Diary Anne Frank. I found it very satisfying to hear of Miep's fondness for Anne and her entire family including the fact that Otto Frank came to live with Miep and her husband after the was. As I read the diary years ago, I wondered what was happening among their friends as they helped and felt deep concern for the eight persons in the attic. Miep tells not only that but also the experience she and her husband in the underground, their interactions with Nazis and their struggle to find food for themselves and others. Miep tells the story in a careful, considerate, and credible manner. I was touched by her precision and her courage....more

This book had me in floods of tears. Miep's modesty is really touching. At one point I asked myself if I had been in Miep's situation would I have done the same without hesitation as she did? I just don't know but I sincerely hope so. On the other side of the coin I am actually Jewish, so in reality it would have been the other way around, and I would have been hoping and praying for my own Miep Gies.The most touching memorial to Anne Frank I've read as yet, and a most extraordinary account of aThis book had me in floods of tears. Miep's modesty is really touching. At one point I asked myself if I had been in Miep's situation would I have done the same without hesitation as she did? I just don't know but I sincerely hope so. On the other side of the coin I am actually Jewish, so in reality it would have been the other way around, and I would have been hoping and praying for my own Miep Gies.The most touching memorial to Anne Frank I've read as yet, and a most extraordinary account of an extraordinary woman. Even if, in her ceaseless humility she did not believe herself to be so....more

This was such a great book! In this day and age we have a tendency to think we would never let the horrors of the camps happen, but, when the steps are broken down, as it is in this book, the 'run away train' seems horribly clear. Even facing terrors from the nazis, people kept fighting back. The amount of bravery it took to keep their families together is amazing. Just buying groceries had to be done so carefully. Then watching the Franks being arrested after working so hard to save them must hThis was such a great book! In this day and age we have a tendency to think we would never let the horrors of the camps happen, but, when the steps are broken down, as it is in this book, the 'run away train' seems horribly clear. Even facing terrors from the nazis, people kept fighting back. The amount of bravery it took to keep their families together is amazing. Just buying groceries had to be done so carefully. Then watching the Franks being arrested after working so hard to save them must have been heart breaking. Then the interminable span of time after wards, while months dragged by of near starvation and bitterly cold weather, while waiting for the war to end and finally for food to be available. This is a story of great friendships and fathomless strength....more

This book was one of those books that I read in preparation for my upcoming performance of The Diary of Anne Frank. Coming into this book, I expected just to learn more about the Frank family and what they experienced during their time in hiding. Instead, I came away with a whole new perspective on what the war really was for some people.

I'm not going to review this book in the traditional sense because I feel this book is beyond that. Instead, I am just going to tell you what I thought.

FirstThis book was one of those books that I read in preparation for my upcoming performance of The Diary of Anne Frank. Coming into this book, I expected just to learn more about the Frank family and what they experienced during their time in hiding. Instead, I came away with a whole new perspective on what the war really was for some people.

I'm not going to review this book in the traditional sense because I feel this book is beyond that. Instead, I am just going to tell you what I thought.

First off, this book is an eye-opener to the harsh realities of the war. I learned new things about the war that I don't think I wanted to know. Miep Gies and her husband were truly heroes, even though Miep claims they are not. It took so much during that time to be brave and to do what they did, and yet throughout the whole story, they never think of their selves, they put everyone else before them.

I don't think we as people really understand how dangerous a thing Miep was doing. She put her life in danger everyday to help those around her. Her story is one of courage, thoughtfulness, and bravery that stay with you forever.

I am so pleased that Miep wrote this book about her experiences during the war while hiding the Frank family. I saw World War 2 in a new way that made me question old views I had of the war. I learned for the first time how realistic the struggling was for everyone, not just the Jews.

I don't think I can accurately portray what this book is and will continue to be. It is a token of human dignity in a time when human dignity did not exist. It is a memorial to many lost souls who did not make it through the war. It is a testament that charity and good things still exist. But most of all, it is Anne Frank Remembered. ...more

I recently saw my daughter perform as Mrs. Frank in the stage version of The Diary of Anne Frank, so when I saw that this memoir of the likeable and helpful Miep character was available to download, I jumped at it. In the play, it's obvious that the Franks and the others hiding out in the Annex couldn't have survived without Miep and others bringing them food and other supplies, but not until I heard her whole story did I realise just what risks this courageous young woman was taking every day.

II recently saw my daughter perform as Mrs. Frank in the stage version of The Diary of Anne Frank, so when I saw that this memoir of the likeable and helpful Miep character was available to download, I jumped at it. In the play, it's obvious that the Franks and the others hiding out in the Annex couldn't have survived without Miep and others bringing them food and other supplies, but not until I heard her whole story did I realise just what risks this courageous young woman was taking every day.

I am grateful that Miep Gies started her story at the beginning: describing how she had come to the Netherlands from Vienna after WWI as part of a program to strengthen the health of sickly and starving children; how she quickly grew to love her adopted homeland and yearned for the day when she would be truly Dutch; how she met Otto Frank and then his family, growing to know and love them all; how she became politically aware in the years leading up to the German invasion of the Netherlands; and how this informed her sense of duty and justice.

Anne Frank Remembered choked me up several times, the first time being when Otto Frank confides in Miep that his older daughter had been instructed to report to a work camp and that he was going to take the entire family into hiding. When he asked Miep if she would help them, she immediately replied, "Of course." When he attempted to describe the dangers that she would be exposed to, she cut him off and reiterated, "Of course I will help." How many of us would immediately offer this help, knowing that the penalty for hiding Jews was deportation or death?

In the twenty-five months that the Franks et al were hiding in the secret rooms above her work place, Miep spent every day searching for the supplies necessary to keep them all alive. She visited those in hiding every morning to get their shopping lists and then, with forged ration cards (which her freedom fighting husband was able to obtain) and a quantity of money that would have gotten her arrested had she been searched by the ever present Green Police, she went from store to store, longer and longer trips as food became more scarce, never buying enough from any one store to raise suspicions. She would deliver their supplies and visit over lunch, never letting anyone know just how hard or dangerous conditions were becoming for her, return to her office job and then visit again at the end of the day when the workers had all left and those in hiding could move around a bit more freely. None of this is stated as a complaint in the book, Miep gladly did everything she could to help out her friends. It also choked me up in one scene where Miep, noticing that Anne was beginning to make the leap from child to young woman, brought her a pair of red high heels.

I think that everyone knows that eventually the hiding place was discovered and those in hiding were sent to concentration camps. There is a monologue at the end of the play where Mister Frank says that the last time he saw his daughter Anne alive, she was naked and starving and her head was shaved and they were separated from one another by a fence. Knowing how their story ended, the arrest scene from Miep's perspective was horrifying and terribly sad. But I had to marvel at the courage she showed when confronted by the arresting Nazi: as he screamed at her, she recognized that he had a Viennese accent. She told him that she was also from Vienna and that he should be ashamed of himself. This was probably the only thing that saved her from arrest like her fellow coworkers. She followed this up by going to the Nazi headquarters the next day to see if he would accept a bribe to release her friends, but they had already been moved on.

As this is Miep's story, it continues on with the conditions endured by the Dutch until the end of WWII, and then on to the reunification with Otto Frank, the details surrounding his decision to publish Anne's diary (which Miep herself had saved from the ransacked Annex), and her decision to publish her own memoir fifty years later. I recently enjoyed a similar memoir, The Secret Holocaust Diaries The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister, by a Russian woman who was the lone survivor of Nazi atrocities in her own family. It is unfathomable to me that anyone could be a Holocaust denier and I am grateful that these and other memoirs were published before the stories could have been lost forever with the memories of their authors. With this book, Miep Geis went from a minor character in a stage play to a fully real and amazing woman whose courage and sense of duty and justice should be an inspiration to anyone who learns her story....more

I have to put my hand up and admit that I have never read anything about Anne Frank before. This was a positive and personal choice. My mother was born of Jewish parents and converted to Christianity at a time my grandfather felt it worthy of the comment that it would not save her from the Nazis. Because of this I have always been afraid to pursue the subject but fully aware of the horrors to which the Jewish people were subjected. It must also be remembered that of the 11 million slaughtered inI have to put my hand up and admit that I have never read anything about Anne Frank before. This was a positive and personal choice. My mother was born of Jewish parents and converted to Christianity at a time my grandfather felt it worthy of the comment that it would not save her from the Nazis. Because of this I have always been afraid to pursue the subject but fully aware of the horrors to which the Jewish people were subjected. It must also be remembered that of the 11 million slaughtered in the holocaust, 5 million were not Jewish but books like the diary of Anne Frank leave people thinking that only the Jewish people were targeted.

However that is all on the macro level, this book deals on the micro level and as Mies Giep points out, she was one of a whole army of people who put their lives at risk to help a few people to survive the war, although, as in the case of the Franks, not always with success.

I did enjoy the book and found it interesting in many ways. It is easy to consider the terror of the people being hidden and pursued, but the terror of those who assisted and protected them, knowing that discovery was likely to mean their own death, is easy to ignore. Mies tries to portray that daily terror to the reader and further to explain the lengths they had to go to keep their charges fed and healthy. Is it well written? Well I must say no, but it is honestly written and the afterword of this edition does not read anything like the main body. I believe this is because the afterword was paraphrased from the musings of the 100 year old Mies.

Mies didn't see herself as brave but would I have done the same? As a single man I would like to think I would but as a married man with children I know I wouldn't, although many thousands of individuals across Europe did exhibit such bravery to protect individuals from persecution and death. I take my hat off to all of them and thank Mies for showing me a little of the lengths such people had to go to.

Will I now read the diary? Well I am more likely to, but not yet....more

Hard to put down. While the Diary of Anne Frank is touching, this is more powerful because you see Anne and the entire Frank family from the eyes of someone who knew them and loved them. When Otto Frank opened the letter telling him his daughters were dead she was standing right there, so you really feel for her and for him profoundly. It's also a very good look at what Amsterdam was like during the war, from more than just the viewpoint of Jewish survivors. Unlike Poland at the time, German symHard to put down. While the Diary of Anne Frank is touching, this is more powerful because you see Anne and the entire Frank family from the eyes of someone who knew them and loved them. When Otto Frank opened the letter telling him his daughters were dead she was standing right there, so you really feel for her and for him profoundly. It's also a very good look at what Amsterdam was like during the war, from more than just the viewpoint of Jewish survivors. Unlike Poland at the time, German sympathizers, were far less common, I think because the people there were happy with their lives before the war and there was much less anti-semitism then in other parts of Europe. So while nothing can compare to the devastation of the camps, what many of the citizens of Amsterdam went through was a nightmare. What Miep Gies did was heroic, but it is understandable to me now why she never saw herself as one . . . there were a lot of people in Amsterdam who did what she did, some hiding Jews, others taking in their children, not to mention a large resistance movement. ...more

WOW! This is a very powerful book told from the perspective of friend and office worker of Otto Frank, Miep Gies, and her part in being one of the Dutch citizens who helped care for the Franks and the Van Pels, as well as Dr. Fritz Pfeffer, who were Jews in hiding in Holland during WWII.

I loved hearing this side of the story as the only one I was previously familiar, in regards to Anne Frank in hiding, was told from the girl herself in her diary. It was great to see the adult perspective; viewsWOW! This is a very powerful book told from the perspective of friend and office worker of Otto Frank, Miep Gies, and her part in being one of the Dutch citizens who helped care for the Franks and the Van Pels, as well as Dr. Fritz Pfeffer, who were Jews in hiding in Holland during WWII.

I loved hearing this side of the story as the only one I was previously familiar, in regards to Anne Frank in hiding, was told from the girl herself in her diary. It was great to see the adult perspective; views that Miep had towards certain people versus the early teenager views of Anne. I was able to see a different side of that experience, learn things, get answers for things that left me with questions from Anne's diary. While Anne told the story from inside the attic and life in hiding, Miep tells the story on the outside and what was happening that those in hiding were not always privy.

This book, in companion with Anne's diary, give almost a full circle view of this event in history. While there are still a few questions and perspectives that are not provided from these two books, they both give beautiful and heartbreaking accounts to a life we never would have known if not for the written words these two people.

I read The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank some time ago, and purchased this one last year. I am so glad I have finally read it…it gives the other perspective completely on this heart-breaking story.

“Meip Gies was born February 15, 1909, as Hermine Santrouschitz in Vienna. Her impoverished parents were barely able to feed their daughter due to the economic conditions, anI read The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank some time ago, and purchased this one last year. I am so glad I have finally read it…it gives the other perspective completely on this heart-breaking story.

“Meip Gies was born February 15, 1909, as Hermine Santrouschitz in Vienna. Her impoverished parents were barely able to feed their daughter due to the economic conditions, and sent her to the Netherlands in 1922 as part of an aid project. Her host family, who went on to adopt Hermine, gave her the nickname Miep.

In 1933, the young woman took up a job as an office assistant in the spice business of Otto Frank, who had emigrated to the Netherlands with his family following the Nazi takeover. After refusing to join a Nazi women’s organization in 1941, Miep only escaped deportation to Austria by marrying her Dutch friend Jan Gies.”

Meip’s new husband (named Henk in the books for the purpose of privacy) and Meip were not Jews, so therefore were supposedly protected from persecution. But the horrors the Nazis landed on most people (not just the Jews) in their little village after the occupation of the Netherlands in 1940 was shattering. Once Otto Frank and his family went into hiding on 5th July 1942, Meip, Henk and four others of Otto’s staff, were the ones totally in charge of the family and their safety; they provided food, news, books, blank paper for Anne and Margot, and cheerfulness in the face of their isolation…over the period of the next two years, the only faces the Frank family, plus another family also in hiding with them, saw, were Meip’s and Henk’s.

The incredible courage displayed by Meip and Henk over extreme diversity is amazing. The outrage they felt at the treatment their friends and the thousands of others, caused them to take many risks with their own safety, but with the end in sight, and the Allies not far away, the hidden families were betrayed by an unknown person for a total of only 60 guldens…a very small amount!

I highly recommend this book, written by a brave human being who lived a long and fulfilling life…only passing away in January of 2010. The atrocities of the German Nazis will hopefully never be repeated!...more

This book was originally published 20 years ago. It tells the story from Miep’s point of view. She and her husband kept the Franks alive by providing food and comfort for two years before the family was betrayed by someone and shipped off to concentration camps a bare two months before the allies arrived. This is a story about the resistance movemAnne Frank Remembered, by Miep Gies and Alison Leslie Gold, narrated by Barbara Rosenblatt, produced by Oasis Audio, 2009, downloaded from audible.com.

This book was originally published 20 years ago. It tells the story from Miep’s point of view. She and her husband kept the Franks alive by providing food and comfort for two years before the family was betrayed by someone and shipped off to concentration camps a bare two months before the allies arrived. This is a story about the resistance movement against the Nazis in Holland. Miep and her husband helped many people avoid the Nazis, including taking people into their home. Miep also tells of the complex underground composed of many resistors in Holland, including many other people who helped the Franks. After the war, Miep gave the Anne’s diary to Otto Frank, the only survivor. Otto lived with them for a few years after the war before moving to Switzerland. Miep ran Frank’s business while he was imprisoned and made sure the business survived. This book also tells about the lack of food in Holland during and after the war and what desperate means people had to use to get food. This book was re-issued in 2008. Miep was the only one left alive of either the victims or the resistance movement. As of the writing of this book, she was turning 100 years old. There is a new epilogue discussing the findings about Anne and her family that have come out since the original publication of the book. There is an interview with Gold at the beginning of the book. This interview should have been placed after the book was read as most such author interviews are. But the book was narrated by Barbara Rosenblatt. There is no better person to narrate a holocaust-based book. Rosenblatt has narrated many of them. IN addition to being a consummate actress and narrator, Rosenblatt’s parents succumbed in the holocaust. This gives her an undying commitment to preserve the history of the holocaust in her own way-through powerful narrations of the books of others. ...more

Like most young people I read the Diary of Anne Frank when I was in my preteens. I believe I was about 12 years old. I thought the book was somewhat boring, but it was an insightful look into a very real and terrifying moment of history from the perspective of a girl my own age in a similar class setting. The story of Miep Gies provided insight and explanation that one is curious about while reading Anne's story. I was absolutely amazed and astonished at the lengths Miep went to every single dayLike most young people I read the Diary of Anne Frank when I was in my preteens. I believe I was about 12 years old. I thought the book was somewhat boring, but it was an insightful look into a very real and terrifying moment of history from the perspective of a girl my own age in a similar class setting. The story of Miep Gies provided insight and explanation that one is curious about while reading Anne's story. I was absolutely amazed and astonished at the lengths Miep went to every single day for two years to provide for this family and many others during the war. This book is a touching glimpse into the torment and constant worry this woman faced. While the subject of this book could have led the writers down a very depressing path, it was written in a way that is both deeply affecting and surprisingly uplifting. Gies gracefully weaves her tale so that the reader slowly slips into seeing the story through her eyes, feeling her emotions and knowing her pain as their own. This book was so affecting that even though the reader knows the outcome, one still doubles over with grief when Otto Frank shares the fate of his daughters and wife with Miep. All in all, this is a well written and deeply moving, insightful look into one of the most tragic stories of all time. ...more

It was an interesting story about the daily life of "Miep" Gies before, durring, and after World War Two. It also told of how she helped to hide the Frank family, as they were Jewish and the risks of not were far too great. There were things called raizias that involved beating jews and dragging them off to labor camps where they had about a 1/20 chance to survive, as there were several diseases, beatings, and gassings. I thought the best part, which was also very stressful, was waiting to see wIt was an interesting story about the daily life of "Miep" Gies before, durring, and after World War Two. It also told of how she helped to hide the Frank family, as they were Jewish and the risks of not were far too great. There were things called raizias that involved beating jews and dragging them off to labor camps where they had about a 1/20 chance to survive, as there were several diseases, beatings, and gassings. I thought the best part, which was also very stressful, was waiting to see who would come back and how the book concluded, because I like to find out what happens and how everything comes together and makes sense. I liked the spectacular array of wonderous vocabulary that was bestowed upon me durring the process of transferring information and inscribing it into my brain. It had several words that gained my interest and even included foreign words like raizia. There were also several main characters such as: Miep Gies, Henk Gies, Otto Frank, Ms. Frank (who I forgot the first name of), Anne Frank, and Margot Frank. There were TONS of other characters, but those are the 100% MOST main, but not the only ones.Overall it was a great book....more

I remember very vividly learning about the Holocaust in 7th grade and feeling so shocked. That feeling has never left me. I read the original diary in 8th grade and several times in high school. It was always a clear reminder that for all the statistics of the Holocaust there were real lives in those numbers. I connected with Anne in her honesty and passion and I could never get past that there was no happy ending for her.

I grew up to become a high school English teacher and jumped on the opportI remember very vividly learning about the Holocaust in 7th grade and feeling so shocked. That feeling has never left me. I read the original diary in 8th grade and several times in high school. It was always a clear reminder that for all the statistics of the Holocaust there were real lives in those numbers. I connected with Anne in her honesty and passion and I could never get past that there was no happy ending for her.

I grew up to become a high school English teacher and jumped on the opportunity to go to a workshop for this version of the book. Reading it as an adult was even more gripping. I can truly feel the echo of a life ended too soon. However, I my soul soars knowing that out of the darkness rises Anne's voice. That she will live forever as that pure and REAL child. That because of her, we can always remember and honor.

The addition of Miep Gies lends to all of this in a powerful way. She is humble and gentle. You feel love knowing she lived to touch the Frank family and to preserve them for us all. A moving addition for all ages....more

When I was eight years old, my mother gave me a cloth-covered blank book for Valentine's Day (or was it Easter?). That was the same year I read Anne Frank's diary, and promptly named this little blue book of mine "Kitty," forever the imitator. I remember, too, looking at the National Geographic that toured the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, my mother explaining to me about the shoes and the walls of photographs. When one is given these narratives at such an age, of course, it lingers.

When MiWhen I was eight years old, my mother gave me a cloth-covered blank book for Valentine's Day (or was it Easter?). That was the same year I read Anne Frank's diary, and promptly named this little blue book of mine "Kitty," forever the imitator. I remember, too, looking at the National Geographic that toured the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, my mother explaining to me about the shoes and the walls of photographs. When one is given these narratives at such an age, of course, it lingers.

When Miep Gies passed away, I knew I had to turn to this memoir of her time with the Frank family. The story itself is written in an incredible plain fashion--one could have read this at age eight, easily--and yet, I was still moved by its entirety, becoming bleary-eyed at certain passages, forever adoring of this woman I knew was a hero from when I first learned her name. It's that kind of unflagging child-like commitment to such a mythic figure that is so appealing to the story--the trust that we learn the lesson early on of forgiveness, of deep trust and love....more

“During the hiding time I lived for the day that the war would end, when I would be able to go into the hiding place, throw open the doors, and say to my friends, “Now go home!” This was not to be. Perhaps when the time comes for me to join Jan and our friends in the hereafter, I’ll push aside the bookcase, walk behind it, climb the steep wooden stairway, careful not to hit my head on the low ceiling where Peter nailed the old towel to it. Upstairs Jan will be leaning against the edge of the dresser, his long legs stretched out, the cat Mouschi in his arms. All the others will be sitting around the table and will greet me when I enter. And Anne, with her usual curiosity, will get up and rush toward me saying, “Hello, Miep. What is the news?” I doubt I have very long to wait. People ask me what it is like to have outlived almost everyone whose history I have shared. It is a strange feeling. Why me? Why was I spared the concentration camp after being caught helping to hide Jews? This I will never know.”
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